Bernhard Baker (New Earth)
He was recruited by Donna Troy as part of a team journeying to New Cronos to try and help stop the threat of Alexander Luthor. During this adventure, he formed a mentoring friendship with the newFirestorm, Jason Rusch. He, along with most of the heroes in space, went missing. 52 Animal Man was stranded on a paradise-like planet with fellow heroes Starfire and Adam Strange after the battle. After several weeks, Adam was able to get his spaceship working, and they departed for Earth. Their ship, however, was attacked by Devilance, who they had encountered on the planet and who had pursued them into space. Lobo appeared just in time to destroy Devilance, and after some negotiation, agreed to help them out. During a battle with Lady Styx and her horde, Animal Man was killed by a necrotoxin, which caused its victims to rise again in the service of Lady Styx. Animal Man made Starfire promise not to let him come back as a zombie. At the moment of his death, Ellen, still on Earth, sensed it, and began to cry. Moments after Starfire and Adam Strange left Animal Man in space, he came back to life. The aliens that originally granted his powers stood next to him, saying: "And so it begins." After plucking him out the timestream and repairing his body, they left him in outer space. Animal Man reached out to another life form in order to survive, and claimed the abilities of a group of Sun-Eaters, including a homing sense. He then observed his wife from a wormhole in space, pondering whether to return to Earth, or stay in space, as he saw her with another man and putting her grief behind her. Buddy finally returned, describing the marvels of space to his delighted family. Ellen held a party to celebrate his return, but some followers of Lady Styx appeared, bent upon killing the family. They were eliminated by Starfire, who had partially recovered from wounds suffered in space. She delivered Buddy's jacket and then fainted out of surprise when she saw him alive, leaving the family to care for her. Flashpoint Professor Zoom drastically alters the timeline in an effort to destroy The Flash. In this new version of history, he is seen as a prison inmate. He is murdered by Heat Wave. Eventually the timeline is restored to normal, but the mysterious Pandora alters it even further to resemble the world that should have been. DCnU The Hunt ]] Over the years, Buddy Baker spent less time in his superhero identity, returning to his role as an environmental activist. He became a symbol for progressive youth culture. He also took up acting, appearing in an indie drama about a washed-up superhero called Tights. However, his passion remained with superheroics. He began to suffer from strange nightmares about three monstrous figures who referred to themselves as "The Hunters Three," and soon, his daughter Maxine began to manifest strange powers of her own, seemingly able to resurrect dead animals. It soon became clear that Maxine's powers were beyond Buddy's own, and after a trip into The Red, they meet the Totems of the Parliament of Limbs, who reveal that it is Maxine who is the Avatar of the Red, and not Buddy. Buddy has merely been given powers in order to protect his daughter until she is ready to become the Avatar. | Powers = Conduit of The Red: Later, Baker learned to draw abilities directly from the "Red", an energy field that connects every animal ever to have lived on Earth. Apparently the Red extends past earth and exists as a universal concept. In 52, Buddy experiences an upgrade that allows him to connect to the Universe's morphogenetic field, providing him unlimited access to all animals in the universe regardless of origin, making him one of the most powerful beings to ever exist. * Animal Mimicry: Buddy can mimic any abilities of any animal as a result of his encounter with a crashed alien spacecraft. He does this by either focusing on a specific animal near him, or, as he learned later, by drawing power from the animal kingdom in general (this enables him to even mimic animals that are extinct). The nature of these powers has been described in various ways, including the superficial "alien radiation" explanation of his early appearances, the reconstruction of his body by aliens with "morphogenetic grafts" at the cellular level, and currently, mystical access to a "morphogenetic field" created by all living creatures, also known as "the Red". He does not grow wings to fly as a bird (instead he flies in classic "Superman style"), nor does he form gills to breathe underwater when mimicking a fish, but he has occasionally been known to mimic the actual appearances of animals, such as adopting the claws of a wolverine temporarily. Among the "animal powers" Buddy has been known to use are: :* The strength of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. :* The flight of a bird. :* The swimming ability of a fish. :* The speed of an ant. :* The sonic blast of a pistol shrimp. :* The sense of smell of a moth. :* The agility of a snake. :* The durability of a rhino. :* The electricity of an electric eel. :* The regeneration ability of a worm. :* The wall-crawling of a spider. :* The stench of a skunk. :* The color changing of a chameleon. :* The reproduction abilities of protozoa. The level of Buddy's abilities are proportional to the size of the animal they are drawn from. Hence, drawing the jumping ability from a flea would allow him to cover great distances. However, taking the abilities of a larger animal does not result in diminished power for him. :* Force Blasts: Tapping into the Red, Animal Man can also fire powerful blasts of force or unidentified energy. He can even use the primordial energies to start a new universe. :* Animal Empathy: In addition to his mimic abilities, Animal Man can make contact with animals, empathize with, "talk" to and see their thoughts and memories. This ability to transfer his life essence has allowed him to survive even when his body has been killed. :* Animal Control: Animal Man can, to a lesser degree, control animals by entering their minds. He can also transfer his mind to living animals of any kind, using their bodies as long as he wants to. | Abilities = | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = Buddy stores gear in his faux-leather jacket. | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = * Writer Grant Morrison has Animal Man frequently break the Fourth Wall, and eventually had Baker meet Morrison. * In the 52 storyline, Buddy tells Adam Strange that his favorite Star Wars film is "The Empire Strikes Back" | Recommended = * * * | DC = animal_man&p=1 | Wikipedia = Animal Man | Links = }} Category:Cosmic Awareness Category:Forgotten Heroes members Category:Formerly Deceased Category:Justice League Europe members Category:Metahumans Category:Former Justice League of America members Category:Animal Mimicry Category:Energy Projection Category:Animal Empathy Category:Animal Control Category:1965 Character Debuts